


A Deadly Game: Coda

by ninjamonkey73



Category: Castle (TV 2009)
Genre: Episode Related, Episode: s02e24 A Deadly Game, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:40:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22352737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninjamonkey73/pseuds/ninjamonkey73
Summary: The building tension charged the room and she half-expected to see lightning flash between them.
Relationships: Kate Beckett/Richard Castle
Kudos: 15





	A Deadly Game: Coda

"See you in the fall," he repeated, an almost sad smile crinkling his eyes.

Kate's throat became impossibly tight and she swallowed hard. _I waited too long_. She blinked twice, trying to force back the beginning of tears and caught sight of the smug smirk Gina cast back at her once her vision cleared. Anger swelled up, irrational and aimed at Gina and her shit-eating grin. And then something clicked for Kate. _He doesn't know!_

Rick and Gina had almost reached the elevator, his arm draped casually over her shoulders, when Kate said loudly enough for him to hear, "I broke it off with Tom."

He stopped abruptly, midstep, Gina practically stumbling out from under his arm. When he turned back to Kate, his face was unreadable, but she was sure she saw at least a glimmer of hope. He turned back to Gina to say something Kate couldn't hear, but it was clear by Gina's reaction - and the few words that carried across the precinct, _Nikki Heat_ and _should have known_ \- that she wasn't coming back when she stormed off.

Kate's eye caught motion to her left, in the breakroom window, and they all scattered, trying to look like they hadn't been watching. Lanie stayed in the window just long enough to smile encouragement and gesture towards Castle with a tip of her head. Kate smiled weakly and took a deep breath.

The look of uncertainty on Castle's face felt out of place there. Dropping the beer in her hand on her desk as she passed, Kate halved the distance between them. "Observation room. The walls have ears," she said, tossing her head back toward the breakroom where their coworkers tried to look otherwise occupied.

They entered the room next to Interrogation 1 and Kate shut the door behind them, pressing her forehead to the door for a moment. She felt uncharacteristically unprepared for whatever was about to happen and her heart thudded loudly in her chest. _You can do this. You were going to do this a few minutes ago._

He began, softly, "Gina's not going to interrupt this time. What were you about to say to me back there?"

She turned to face him and sighed heavily, meeting his searching eyes. "Just that I broke up with Tom. He's a great guy and everything, but he isn't what I want right now."

"I see," he replied with a broad, boyish smile. He took a step towards her and stopped. "And what do you want right now?"

  
That was the question, wasn't it? She hadn't really thought out what she'd say this far into their conversation. In fact, the one time she had tried to imagine how the conversation would go, her fantasy Rick had grabbed her and kissed her the moment she said Tom wasn't what she wanted. Picturing it again sent a shiver down her spine and she blushed. Apparently, the real Richard Castle was far more cautious than she gave him credit for. Then again, she was wearing a gun.

"Castle, I." She trailed off. Her eyes slid down to his lips, then back up, and she ran her tongue over her own lips unconsciously. The building tension charged the room and she half-expected to see lightning flash between them. She laughed and breathed, "This played out differently in my head."

He took another step closer, eyes narrowing in puzzled amusement. "So, Detective Kate Beckett ran through this little conversation in her head?" He closed the remaining space between them, standing toe to toe but not touching. "Did your version have less... dialog?"

"Oh, Castle, wouldn't you like to know," she breathed. "In my head you were way more... Rook."

"WWRD. What would Rook do?" He leaned down slightly, his mouth impossibly close to hers.

She could feel his breath on her face, a faint, swirling warmth. Her blood was on fire, raging through her veins the way it did when he leaned in too close while they went over evidence. The pleasant sensation of falling shot through her. Kissing him would be so easy. Just lean across the last fraction of space separating them and finally answer the burning question of what it would be like to kiss Rick Castle. Her eyes darted down to his lips again before she caught his eyes and asked, "What are you waiting for?"

He blinked, slowly, and took a deep breath. "Permission."

The look on his face, all pinched control and cautious hope, said it all. He wanted, needed, it to be her decision. So she complied, exhaling, "God, Rick, just kiss me," as she closed the remaining gap.

His lips were softer than she'd imagined, and his back more muscular, as she slid her hands up to hook the backs of his shoulders. He threaded the fingers of one hand into the back of her hair, splaying the other on the middle of her back and pulling her tightly to his chest. Without hesitation, she opened to him, her tongue grazing his lower lip in invitation. When he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding the length of hers, her knees buckled ever so slightly and she clutched him tighter.

Breathless, they eventually separated, and Kate smiled at him with sultry, hooded eyes. "Two years is an awful lot of time for foreplay."

He swallowed hard and a blush crept up his neck. "Yes. Yes it is."

Kate leaned into him, pressing her lips to his ear. "We need to stop at my place before we head out to the Hamptons. I won't be able to wait that much longer."

He turned, eying the table with a smirk and pulling her against him tightly. "I don't think I can wait until your apartment."

She planted both of her hands flat on his chest and pushed away gently with a laugh. "I'll tell you what. I'll go get my bag and tie things up here. You take all the time you need to," she let her eyes travel down his body, "compose yourself. And Rick." She locked eyes with him, a predatory smile on her lips. "We never do this again at the office or we never do this again. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, trying to look innocent. "Race you to the car."


End file.
